Innovating Early Years: How Technology is Improving Childcare

The UK childcare sector is facing a number of difficulties, from the perspective of both families and providers. But solutions can be found by opening up to new technology. 

Pebble was born from the desire to find a better way to manage childcare – to make it easier for parents who need flexible care, and to help nurseries and other childcare providers operate without making a loss or losing valuable staff. Ultimately, it’s the kids who will benefit from us finding a better way – and there is nothing more important than being able to provide the very best start for the next generation.

Finding hope for a sector in crisis

Decades of underfunding, unprecedented changes to work patterns and a chronic skills shortage have pushed the UK’s childcare and early years sector to the brink, forcing cash-strapped families to pay more for services and pushing many providers out of business.

And as the government prepares to roll out its offer of 30 hours of ‘free childcare’ to eligible parents of 9-month-olds by 2025, new research warns that just 17% of nursery managers say they can actually offer the extended free hours entitlement, due to ongoing recruitment challenges.

As a parent and nursery owner with more than 22 years of experience in the sector, I certainly don’t underestimate the depth of the problems faced – but I firmly believe solutions can be found through innovation, change and greater investment.

A way forward through innovation

The sector has always been resilient, and has the ability to see change as something that is good and necessary. But providers sometimes need a little encouragement.

Take the pandemic, for example. Parents who had regularly used nurseries for 4 or 5 days a week were effectively forced to reduce their booking patterns overnight. Providers didn’t have the software to plan for or manage this new world of ad-hoc demand. So Pebble responded – we came in with a new system and platform that gave childcare providers the ability to highlight available sessions, and gave parents the flexibility to book the sessions they needed, and pay for them instantly.

In Pebble’s early days – and the Pebble business was founded in 2021 during the pandemic – as a nursery owner and a sector advisor, this innovation was the solution I’d been looking for. I was – and am – excited by Pebble’s way of thinking, and its potential to improve the sector.

Helping busy parents plan their lives

Pebble was created to help parents instantly find and book flexible childcare that meets their actual needs, and the system also enables providers to focus on running efficient businesses – centred around child wellbeing. All of our vetted practitioners care deeply about giving the best experiences and getting the best developmental outcomes for each child.

Nurseries and preschools work to strict child-to-staff ratios – and our technology allows them to instantly plan staffing levels and  spaces in line with these ratios. 

And this gives parents using Pebble real-time availability, so they can plan their childcare around their lives.

Championing the cause for flexible, affordable childcare

I’m proud to be part of the drive to bring about change, by championing the cause for childcare that actually meets parent needs.

We ran a parent survey recently which underlined the current lack of flexibility in workplaces – more than half of parents feel pressured to spend more time in the office, with many struggling to pay the additional childcare and transport costs. Parents need more flexibility, and the more we can amplify their voices and share their experiences, the greater the incentive for employers to change. 

It makes sense to invest in childcare

In line with other industry experts, academics and economists, I believe the case for greater government investment in early childhood education and care is incredibly compelling.

Research shows that increased funding could:

• Give more children access to high-quality early childhood education and care, which has significant benefits for children’s development in both the short and longer-term. 

• Provide better life chances for children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

• Keep more talented workers – especially mums – in the labour market.

• End the early years education and care skills shortage, by enabling staff to be properly paid, trained and valued. 

• Enable more providers to employ and retain staff, and therefore offer more childcare places.

• Boost the economy through increased output and earnings.

In short, increased funding and investment could transform the UK childcare sector.

With adequate funding, providers will be able to meet all operating costs, staff wages will go up and staff attrition will cease. 

Additional, simple measures, such as business rate reductions and VAT exemption would also allow providers to open up more places to more children – helping more parents back to work and giving them more free time to focus on their careers.

Innovating to give our kids the best start in life

Pebble will continue to seek ways to support parents, bringing together technology and childcare to meet real needs.

Parents told us that they wanted an easy way to find and book flexible childcare 24/7, and we responded. Now, over half of the bookings taken on our platform are made outside of usual nursery operating hours because parents often need to make decisions around childcare in the evenings and at weekends.

With Pebble, parents can arrange their childcare in seconds, and providers can fill slots and take payment instantly – any time of the day or night.

By connecting parents and providers through innovation and technology we can support the ethics of childcare: giving every child access to the best quality early years education and care. 

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Dane Hardie is Pebble’s Director of Strategy & Childcare, and was recently interviewed on this topic for a new series of audio content, available soon. Keep an eye on our socials for the link to his full interview about how we can address some of the UK Childcare Sector’s most pressing problems – and make a big difference for nursery operators, staff, parents and, especially, children.